The first part of the development and main application fields of infrared technology
Development of infrared technology
in 1800, the British astronomer FW Herschel discovered infrared.
In the 1970s, thermal imaging systems and charge-coupled devices are successfully applied.
In the last century focal plane array (FPA) as the representative of the infrared device is successfully applied.
Infrared technology is the core of infrared detectors.
Infrared detector
unit infrared detector: as the InSb (indium antimony), of HgCdTe (mercury cadmium telluride), non-intrinsic silicon, and the like pyroelectric detector.
Line column: 60 $ 120, $ 180, $ 256 yuan, and the like, can be spliced or more membered 1024 dollars.
A scanning focal plane array 4N Series: Development 211 as produced 4x288.
Staring focal plane array (IRFPA):
refrigerant type 256x256,320x240,384x288, such as larger 640x512,1024 × 1024 and 1280 × 720 also has a cell array;
uncooled type has been widely 160 × 120,320x240 used in various industries, 384x288,640x480 also have begun to use.
Infrared detector according to their characteristics can be divided into four generations:
The first generation (1970s-80s): mainly unit, multiple optical components in a Series / scanning and imaging;
second-generation (1990s-2000s): as is 4x288 scanning focal plane represented;
the third generation: staring focal plane;
fourth generation: currently being developed to big area, high-resolution, multi-band, intelligent smart type as the main features of the system chip, high performance digital signal processing functions, and even includes a monolithic multi-band detection and identification capability.
Mainstream technology for uncooled focal plane detector micro thermistor bolometer, vanadium oxide and amorphous silicon detector probe in accordance with two kinds of thermistor material used can be divided into.
Development of uncooled focal plane array detector, which uses part of the performance to meet military and civilian areas almost all, truly small size, low price and high reliability, becomes infrared imaging in detecting and highly promising market potential direction of development.
Vanadium oxide technology developed by the American company Honeywell's success in the early nineties, now its patents BAE, L-3 / IR, FLIR-INDIGO, DRS, and Japanese NEC, SCD, several Israeli company. Amorphous silicon technology mainly by the French CEA / LETI / LIR laboratory successfully developed in the late 1990s, mainly produced by the French company SOFRADIR and ULIS.
Currently only the United States, France, Japan, Israel, four countries have the ability to uncooled focal plane array detectors industrial production, its core technology is only the United States and France, two countries grasp, Japan and Israel by the United States access to technology licensing, in its domestic production and limited use. Exports to China are setting more stringent restrictions, such as limiting the frame rate we encountered.
China has carried out from the unit, linear array infrared focal plane detector research. Products covered 1μm-3μm, 3m-5μm and 8μm-14μm three atmospheric window: photon detector light guide, photovoltaic, and other quantum well structure; heat detector has a thermistor, thermocouple and the stack, type thermoelectric . Multiple focal plane array has been out of the lab, began to gain practical application.
With the infrared detector mainly from the first generation unit, a multi-component optical machine serial / scan imaging to the current rapid development of the fourth generation, led to the rapid development of related technologies and the application of this technique the corresponding infrared, infrared, material, the optical element processing and coating, refrigerator, preamplifier, readout dedicated signal processing circuit, an image processing system design, testing, simulation and testing technology, it has formed a relatively complete production system study.
The main application field of infrared technology
Infrared technology earlier confined to the military field, along with the end of the Cold War, began large-scale infrared technology into civilian areas.
With the rapid development of the world economy, the rapid progress of infrared technology and product costs continue to decline, civil applications will have a broader space for development.
Military field
infrared technology can be used to far, medium, short-range surveillance of military targets, warning, early warning and tracking; precision-guided infrared imaging; weapons platform, driving, navigation; detecting stealth weapon system; photoelectric confrontation.
In the United States Army, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Israel and other developed countries, infrared imaging system has been configured in various military services by land, air, naval and other, such as the Gulf War, the average American soldier is equipped with infrared thermal 1.7 imager.
Compared with developed countries, the current application of military infrared camera is relatively small, its market demand is quite huge.
Civilian areas
infrared temperature measurement, infrared imaging has been widely used in civilian areas of industry, transportation, power, petrochemical, agriculture, medicine, remote sensing, security monitoring and prevention and scientific research, become automatic control, on-line monitoring, non-contact measurement equipment failure an important method of diagnosis, resource exploration, remote sensing, environmental monitoring and analysis, human medical imaging and so on.
System-level product range and expanding the production scale of the infrared devices resulting in a reduction of costs, this trend will not only promote the development of this technology in civilian areas can continue to explore more applications use this technology while pulling itself traction on the basis of the development of the industry.
Infrared camera market is likely to civilian areas showing explosive growth, potential future global civilian market demand up to billions of dollars.
The main field direction of the second portion of the infrared technology industry
By products and technologies can be divided into categories: infrared sensors, infrared imaging, infrared materials, optical elements, refrigerator, preamplifier, readout dedicated signal processing circuit, an image processing system design, testing, simulation and testing the like;
Press applications can be divided into: the field of security, fire protection, power sector, business process control field, medical field, construction field, remote sensing fields.
Security field
since 2006, the global video surveillance market annual growth rate of 70% is expected by 2010, the global video surveillance market will reach nearly $ 6 billion.
Chinese video surveillance market in 2006, the scale of 18 billion yuan in 2010 is expected to reach nearly 70 billion yuan.
With the growing commercial and residential security monitoring actual demand and improve the cost-effective deployment of the monitoring system, as well as "national emergency system", "peace building", "police training" and other major projects in the country continue to promote, China's video surveillance the market continues to heat up, and continue to create more demand and market opportunities.
China held large-scale activities of the Beijing Olympic Games, Shanghai World Expo and Guangzhou Asian Games and the World Social volatile security situation, the various risk prevention also put forward higher requirements, it has a quasi-day weather infrared surveillance even more prominent.
Acceptability occur uncooled infrared detector and the market price, the alarm infrared imaging irradiated from the near-infrared active alarm, flash point source infrared detection alarm to the development of infrared staring focal plane.
Infrared imaging, infrared / visible fusion of intelligent video surveillance alarm system will be rapid development and wide use of the sea border to the important sectors, banks, airports, oil depots, armories, books Archive, the cultural relics department, prisons, etc., as well as transportation, industrial, warehousing, port terminals, networking and forest fire prevention and other industrial markets.
By 2009, there are about 3 million surveillance cameras for city monitoring and alarm system. Future by one-thirtieth of infrared camera configuration, size of the market, which amounts to 100 000, according to an average of 50,000 yuan each calculation (currently priced at about 100,000 yuan), the total market demand to reach 50 billion yuan. Infrared security industry has begun to become another hot field of security!
Fire protection
fire protection is the world's largest infrared camera developed civilian market.
According to statistics, the world has about 5 million firefighters per fire if the vehicle is equipped with a thermal imager, the total market will reach 20 million units.
According to statistics of China's Ministry of Public Security Department equipment Fire Department, China fire engines to maintain about 23,000, according to the Ministry of Public Security, the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Construction, the revised "City fire station construction standards", 2009 each fire station fire engine configuration will be 3.2 to 5 vehicles, fire engines and therefore the country's total will reach nearly 36,000.
Our fire engines equipped with infrared camera also rarely, if each fire engine equipped with a thermal imager, an average of 10 per million yuan terms (currently priced at about 150,000 yuan), a global field of fire the total market demand of 200 billion, will reach 3.6 billion.
The power sector
as the most mature, the most effective means of power line detection, infrared imaging can greatly improve the reliability of power supply equipment operation, greatly reducing the maintenance time of the device.
While the power industry is currently China's most widely used infrared cameras civilian industry, but only in economically developed coastal areas of Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, and the current ownership of these developed areas is only 20% of demand.
According to statistics, China's power industry Infrared total demand of about 2.5 million units at an average price of 60,000 yuan each (currently priced at about 100,000 yuan) to calculate total market demand of about 15 million.
Business process control field
at present, China's manufacturing industry a total of about 130 million businesses that use infrared cameras to do if the manufacturing process control, you can greatly improve product quality, such as manufacturing, 10% of large enterprises equipped with infrared thermal imager, every enterprise is equipped with a thermal imager to calculate, the total market demand will reach 13 million units, with each priced at 100,000 yuan terms, the market demand for the amount of up to 130 billion yuan.
Medical field
medical applications of infrared technology mainly includes the body temperature detection, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of disease in three areas of health.
Infrared temperature detection play, an important role during the SARS flu;
medical infrared thermal imaging technology is a structural imaging techniques (B Super, CT, MRI) is a great addition to many conventional structural imaging techniques can not show or later than abnormal function performance information, was able to express through infrared thermal imaging technology. According to the literature, in terms of tumor was found, which, as early as 6 to 12 months than CT magnetic resonance imaging. It is the only instrument to be investigated pain and soft tissue injuries.
Currently, the medical infrared thermal imaging technology is bioinformatics, noninvasive detection, sub-health assessment, prediction of tumor, TCM diagnosis objective, non-invasive monitoring of human abnormality information (including SARS epidemic monitoring) and other major frontier widely used.
Various infrared therapy instrument has gradually entered people's homes.
Medical infrared camera developed in China started late, only in 1991 started to develop medical infrared, due to technical and market, sales have been relatively small, the current use of medical infrared imaging products are about 200, Beijing Union Medical College hospital, Military General hospital, 309 hospitals, 304 hospitals, 721 hospitals, the total electricity hospital, Beijing hospital have such equipment, it was reported that major hospitals across the country have established infrared medical Center, 80% of small hospitals set up infrared medical department, the medical profession domestic demand for infrared medical equipment greatly increased.
The construction sector
, 2006 November 1, China Engineering Construction Standardization Association approved the implementation of "infrared thermography to detect building exterior finishes off the bonding layer defect technical regulations," the application of infrared cameras in the construction industry were the norm. At present, about 100,000 construction companies, if each station is equipped with a thermal imager, the total market demand of up to 10 million units, at an average price of 50,000 yuan each calculation, the amount of market demand up to 50 billion.
Remote sensing
infrared remote sensing instruments to obtain the target surface features of the infrared radiation data after signal processing or information available information Earth's environment. It has important application value and broad application space in earth resources exploration, weather forecasting, disaster prevention and mitigation, disaster search and rescue and so on.
There are a number of spaceborne, airborne, aerostats and other remote sensing platforms.
The third part of the situation and development trend of infrared industry at home and abroad
Military areas:
Infrared technology has been widely used in land, sea and air armed services, in which infrared imaging precision guidance is one of the main direction of the infrared technology countries. Infrared imaging guidance technology is beginning for Research and Innovation by the Americans from the early 1960s. There are statistics, over the past 20 years, many local wars around the world and limited military conflict, was hit by a missile aircraft had been shot down 90 percent of infrared-guided missiles, 85% of the ground and sea the goal is being hit with infrared guidance capability of the weapon system.
Expand the field of application of infrared guidance technology is quite broad, there are a lot of equipment type positions, airborne type, carrier-based and space-borne type-guided fire control system and pre-warning system. The ground system due largely unaffected by size, weight, shape and timeliness of strict restrictions, but also human intervention on-site maintenance and parameter settings.
In Europe, the United States developed countries, a higher rate of non-expendable fielding infrared imaging guidance (command, warning and fire control) systems, almost military (police) on ships, airplanes, tanks and significant ground positions They are equipped with a large number of infrared imaging device, and played an important role.
Individual Weapon is a vast market, the global number of troops is about 20 million, if 10% of the army each soldier is equipped with infrared cameras, infrared cameras each with a rate of $ 2000 (currently priced at about US $ 10,000) to calculate the total infrared camera man military needs of the global market to 40 billion US dollars.
(SPIE) is estimated according to the International Society for Optical, the actual demand in the world's military infrared camera at least $ 3 billion.
Civilian areas
according to the US Maxtech International report released by the infrared market, in 2006 the global civil infrared camera sales of $ 1.63 billion, for several years, global demand for civilian infrared camera market average annual growth rate has exceeded 15 percent, is expected to In 2010 the global market for civil supply infrared camera to reach $ 2.8 billion.
Supply and demand trends in the global civil infrared camera market
Because infrared technology has a high value military and civilian, in recent years, major foreign manufacturers have to increase investment and research and development efforts in the industrialization process of core components and systems products.
FLIR's, L-3 Corporation, FLUKE Corporation, SOFRADIR / ULIS Corporation, NEC is a strong competitor civilian thermal imager art.
FLIR is the most competitive field of civil infrared camera company, in 2006, FILR company has made infrared camera orders for its new BMW 7 Series sedan equipped, and access to the US Government export 350,000 units permit applications, the company's vo2 uncooled infrared imagers in the domestic market account for a large share.
From a global perspective, the infrared camera has been widely used, according to the report MaxtechInternational, the global civil market size of about $ 3 billion in the next few years the average annual growth rate of 15%; the military market size of 6 billion dollars, for the next few years, the average annual growth rate of around 7%.
Military areas:
Since one of the key technology of infrared technology can more fully meet the needs of military applications, and thus infrared technology is today striving to develop the country.
At present, China military infrared camera application is relatively small, according to the Chinese government published "China's National Defense in 2006" white paper, the number of military personnel of 230 people, 10% of the future if our troops equipped with infrared thermography instrument, the infrared camera market our military capacity can reach 23 million units, with each 50,000 yuan (currently most of the actual price of military infrared cameras far more than 100,000 yuan) to calculate its market demand up to 115 billion yuan.
Civilian areas:
In the field of infrared camera used in security, fire, electricity, construction and other industries is still in its infancy, a huge space for development, the future market space will be more than military needs.
Due to the rapid development of the domestic economy, the average annual growth rate of China infrared camera market will reach or exceed 20% of demand is expected in 2011 China Civil infrared camera market can reach 995 million yuan. When taking into account the new developments in the field of applications, the actual total market demand will likely exceed the forecast.
Currently engaged in infrared technology product development, production and operation of more than about 400 units, about 30 more than begun to take shape. Civil red infrared camera suppliers have a dozen, but most R & D strength is weak, small brand influence, many companies are actually agents of foreign products or systems integrators.
China engaged in infrared materials, devices and systems for major research units: CLP 11, 211 weapons, 8358, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, 205, Air 612, 613, 717 and other ships. Dali Technology, Wuhan High German and Guangzhou SAT Infrared Principal has become the main force in the domestic civilian industry.
For various reasons, the state-owned units in the civilian market share of about 5%, Dali Technology, Guangzhou and Wuhan High German SATIR three market share has been above 60%. China infrared camera industry leader with 10 years of industry from foreign FLIR, FLUKE other manufacturers snatch up more than 50% market share, the initial realization of import substitution industrialization goals.
At present domestic product performance infrared imaging system has been basically close to the imported products, but due to the brand influence, the price is only half of imported products.
Infrared camera core components mainly rely on imports, the core technology controlled by others. The competitiveness of domestic enterprises is mainly reflected in the overall technology, optical systems, the follow-up circuit, image processing software. Of course, a part of human resources, management, market is competitive.
IR industry market characteristics
1, technology research difficult
Infrared detector is a focal plane, the subsequent circuit, image processing software is composed of three parts, is a material, semiconductor technology, precision instruments, mechanical engineering, optics, software design cutting-edge technology of high-tech products . Because infrared camera is still mainly used in the military field, the relevant technical information diffusion is strictly controlled, it is difficult to obtain, which is leading domestic technological backwardness, the main reason for personnel training hard, so that the domestic research institutions has been difficult in this industry has made a major breakthrough.
2, the core components of imports restricted
Currently, the infrared camera core component of the focal plane detector only a few countries in Europe and North America, Japan and Israel, and other enterprises have the ability to industrial production, its core technology output is strictly limited. At present, all focal plane array detectors are to foreign and domestic buyers must submit an application to the Government, and by the government examination and approval, the issue of export licenses, and related businesses before the importer signed a product purchase and sale agreement. So into the infrared camera industry, the company takes a long time in the procurement of the detector in order to obtain permission procedures more cumbersome and slow.
3, the slow process of industrialization
Infrared camera as a new high-tech products, research and development difficult, long cycle, the industrialization of high difficulty. For example, for a new industry entrants to the successful development of fire with infrared cameras for at least a period of about five years, while the product developed, how to market, you need to accumulate more marketing channels. Thus, while some domestic research institutions to grasp some of the infrared camera technology, and the successful development of products, but the opportunity has not succeeded in into commodities, the lack of further improvement, development, and therefore also failed to catch up with technology the international advanced level.